March 12, 2007
Federal Budget short change Rural America
The FY 2008 budget submitted by the Bush Administration again short changed Rural America. This is rather astounding considering that it was Rural America that has provided the Bush Administration with it's electoral college majorities.
The Center for Rural Affairs has outlined some of the major problems with this budget in its most recent newsletter. Rather than repeat that analysis, I would rather suggest that this administration will look for every place where they can cut expenditures in the budget to support their quixotic quest for reaching our Manifest Destiny.
There needs to be a Green Party critique of current policies. As an issue, it will not gain much press. However, such a critique can become useful for organizing rural counties. If Greens can put forward practical solutions for the problems that this administration is failing to address, then we would be one up on the Democrats.
Hopefully, we can have the time to use this space to begin the definition of that critique.
Posted by Wes at 06:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 14, 2006
Plenty of jobs, no money
I found another blog today that dealt with rural issues. Called the Blog for Rural America, and run by the Center for Rural Affairs, it featured a recent post that gave some of the credit for the recent Democratic victory to rural votes, especially in Missouri. (read more).
At a time when many Greens would abandon rural areas as "red state country" and "a waste of resources to organize" McCaskill's victory in Missour seems to indicate that Rural America can at least be the difference maker in major elections. The question for us as Greens is whether or not it can be the engine that sparks our growth.
Rural America lives close to the land. If there is any consituency for Green Environmental Policy, it should be here. We have too frequently been labeled as city slicker, tree huggers who are trying to tell rural America how to live. I know that is how the Republicans would like to picture us. Greens are a threat to the Corporate Money Tree for Republicans.
What they do not understand is that Greens policies for sustainable development and decentralization would make be a sensible alternative to big spending Democratic programs.
The real entry for Greens in many rural areas would seem to be the fact that there are many jobs, all paying poverty level wages. It is time that Greens learned the lesson of 1992, when Clinton reminded the country that "It's the economy." Green economic policy will drive Green Party Growth in Rural America at the expense of the Republicans, and it can begin on Rove's watch.
Posted by Wes at 04:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack